Course: -
M.A. English
Semester: - 3
Batch: -
2015-2017
Enrolment no: -
PG15101003
Submitted to: -
Smt. S.B.Gardi Dept. of English MKBU
Paper no: -
The Postcolonial Literature
Topic: - Religious Colonialism (illustrations from
short stories and Myths)
Religious Colonialism
1) What is colonialism?
Colonialism contains various definitions, The
Merriam-Webster Dictionary has four definitions and two of them are,
1.
“Something
Characteristic of a colony”
2.
“Control
by one power over a dependent area or people”
The term colonialism is used for the
process of European settlement and political control over the rest of the world,
which clearly means that the power is superior and it controls weak people.
Religious Colonialism:
If we take Religious colonialism with history
of Christianity, Catholics and Protestant were the religions of the European
colonial powers. Contemporary time is all about Post-colonialism, and if the
religion is observed one can get an idea that how religion has ‘control’ over
the thinking capacity of humans. Followers of religion have constructed various
myths, also prophets of any religion constructs those myth in such manner that
it creates hope and faith in people of that religion. Nowadays Religion has
become the more powerful weapon for humans than any nuclear weapon. Religious
communities have become more horrifying than any terrorist groups. (Wikipedia )
India is known for multiculturalism
and different religions in one nation. But it is a large way of looking. If
we peep inside these religions and its relation we may find a
cold war and they want to dominate each other by increasing their followers. Hindu religion still contains its
high-rigid values and it doesn’t allow any other religion to dominate or
interfere in it. The hatred towards Muslim community is still there, whenever
Pakistan attacks on India, Indians take revenge with Muslims who live in
India. Though they have not any
connection with Pakistan from so many years and they also have born in India, but it
happens because of different religion. There is one famous phrase in India,
But most of the times it
doesn’t happened. They fight like anything. This all because of the provocation
by religious stories and their gurus, because it evokes the feelings of
religious consciousness and it also evokes the hatred towards the other
religions.
Every religion contains different
stories of Gods and different myths, which is not written or told by God but
their disciples or rather followers; Humans. Here are some examples of myths of
various religions which drag people in the control of religion and if they want
to get free from this, they cannot escape from the fear of God and their
mindset. The stories of God strongly influence that if you will not believe in
God, the God will destroy you.
1) Abraham- Old
Testament Bible Story of Faith
Abraham is mentioned several times in the Bible for some of
the great things he accomplished, but Romans 4 says that he was saved because
of his faith and not because of this works. Hebrews 11 says that he followed
God even though he was not sure where he was going. Abraham is known as a man
of faith who faithfully followed the Lord’s leading.
God gave Abraham the promise that the Redeemer would come
through his family. Abraham and his wife Sarah were past child-bearing age when
God gave them a child named Isaac. Even though God had promised that Abraham’s
descendants would one day be a great nation, He asked Abraham to sacrifice his
only son Isaac in Genesis 22.
God told Abraham to take Isaac to a mountain to sacrifice
him to the Lord. God never intended for Abraham to kill Isaac. This was merely
a test to show to us the type of faith Abraham had. (Peach)
As we read the story of Abraham and Isaac we are reminded
that God is faithful and that we can place our trust in Him.
Here
we have a story from Christian religion. In this story again there is faith in center. If we read the story we come to know that God has taken test of
his follower for proving his existence. If you are the great follower of God,
you will suffer more. God is there to help you but you have to blindly
follow him. A person should kill his/her family members if God has commanded.
These
kinds of stories have been made by followers of God. We don’t know about the
authenticity of these stories, but still it influences us in one or the other
way and we have to believe that if we will not follow the commands of God and
accept the situations of our life as it is; we will suffer.
2) Sikh Dharma
If we read this story we could find that how religious gurus overpowers
the followers by controlling their mind. This story is about the test of Guru
to his followers. Most of followers have taken money and left the guru in his
difficult path. One devotee was faithful enough to be with guru in all the time
and he also followed the command of Guru to eat a dead body. But at the end we find that there was not any dead body but it was Prasad.
This simple story is about faith in
Guru’s command and religion, but is it good to follow the commands blindly?
What is the main duty of all religious Gurus? to make followers of their
religion or to show the right path to all human being? From this point religious colonialism
increases. Leaders of various religions create such fears of God and
disobedience of Gurus and then they used to control the public. Because of the
fear of punishments people do not resist the commands of Religious Gurus.
3) Muslim Religion:
In Islam, stories of Fatima are very famous and it increases the faith of Islam religion in followers. In this story of Fatima bibi, we can find that how there are several conditions in religion. All these conditions have such warnings that if a person will not pay attention to the stories of God or if they resist in giving importance to the myths of religion, he/she will be destroyed, as in the above story, those people who have denied helping Sunaran, have lost their houses because their houses were burnt.(May be it was the punishment of God).
These kinds of stories increases superstition in the followers and also create a fear that if they will not be religious they will be destroyed. If God is there then he will not make his children such blind followers.
4) Hindu Religion - Myth
of Prahlad:
In Hindu religion, there is a famous story of King Hiranyakashyap and his son. This is the story about faith in God. Prahlad was a devotee of lord Vishnu. His father was against him and God. His father tried to kill him many times. Every time Lord Vishnu has saved the life of child. Whenever there was any danger on Prahlad’s life, he started praying Vishn and Vishnu saved him.
This story clearly suggests that whenever you are in
problem, you should start praying God and he will save your life rather than focusing
on Karma or finding solution of problem. There are so many stories in Hindu
religion which supports “Bhakti” rather than Karma. The story of Prahlad
suggests karma in a wrong way. As per this story, Karma of Prahlad was only
devotion of God and that is why he was saved several times. When we read the
story it influences us that we should always pray to God and never try to think
against him, otherwise he will punish us. This kind of stories constructs our
mind that God is everything and mentally makes us slave of religion.
Conclusion:
The moral of the story is simple that if you will not follow the command of God you will be destroyed. In Genesis also we find that because of disobedience Adam and Eve have to leave their paradise. In every religious story we find that there is some kind of element which increases our fear to question the religion.
Religion has mentally enslaved the followers. No one can rebel against this enslavement. Religion has got control over our mind and body. Religious Gurus and stories have increased superstition and blind faith. Religion should spread purity in thought and truth. But if we check the roots of our own religion there is only fake stories which horrifies our instinct of being rational.
We cannot question the myth of Prahlad that without doing anything, how Prahlad was saved? Just because of blind faith? Why God has taken such difficult test of Abraham? Just to check his faith in God? Why Guru Nanak told Lehnaji to eat dead body? Just to check faith? And at last, why storyteller is forcing that we have to believe in God, otherwise we will be destroyed...
All these question cannot be asked and have no answers, because our mind is constructed in such a way that it cannot ask anything to his master and it just follows the commands blindly.
Works Cited
Peach, D. What Christians wants to know.SikNet.
Wikipedia .
To evaluate my assignment click here
very well written...
ReplyDeleteThere is one dialogue in the film Oh My God!!!
we are god fearing people not god loving people.As Northrop Frye has said that we all are same, eventually we parted but thinking is same. God fearing people are available in tons and the so called religious leaders take advantage of this fear.